


Soft

by stardustginger



Series: Jason Todd Imagines [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Reader Insert, imagine, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 02:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11819121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustginger/pseuds/stardustginger
Summary: Jason finally gets the chance to be soft with someone.





	Soft

Jason Todd is not someone who you would typically call soft. He has always come off as all sharp edges and rough exterior. Growing up on the street had forced him to become tough, to push down his feelings and focus on survival before anything else. He had been able to become much happier, gentler even when he was safe and at home with Bruce but once that was ripped away from him, his sharp edges had only gotten sharper. When he had come back from the dead, he had lost all of the trust and vulnerability that he developed while being Robin. He became violent and impulsive and jaded. He had been close to losing himself fully when he had met you. You with your kind smile and bright eyes. You had been able to bring light back into his world and eventually he found himself starting to feel better around you. Like he had a purpose other than revenge.  
He had tried to stop himself for falling too hard, too quickly. He tried to convince himself that it was only because he was scared of you getting hurt because of him, which wasn’t completely untrue. He was scared that his ‘job’ would cause trouble for you, but he was also terrified of letting anybody in again. Scared of them getting taken away from him or vice versa. But he just couldn’t help himself with you. You were sweet and quirky and he felt comfortable around you. You were the first person to come around in while who he felt like he could be gentle around. When he was with you he didn’t feel like he needed to protect himself constantly. So eventually, he stops trying to push you away. He slowly starts to allow his walls to come down.  
It isn’t easy for him though. He has spent so much time pushing down and hiding who he truly is. Some days it seemed like the mantle of Red Hood has fully taken over, like the anger and vengeance is all he is now. But he keeps trying and while it takes some time, he can feel parts of who he once was starting to resurface. He becomes kinder, less angry and he starts to feel genuinely happy again. He is still not the same boy that he once was, but he is ok with this. He knows that all that has happened to him has changed him, for both better and worse, but there is nothing he can do about that, so he does his best to just discover who he is now-a-days.  
Being around you helps him with this. When he’s with you it seems much more natural, like he doesn’t need to think constantly about who he is and what he is doing, but can instead just be and exist without restraint. There are still days where it is hard for him though. Days where his insecurities overwhelm his mind and he can’t not seem to get past the idea that he is not good enough, or that he is somehow too messed up to be fixed. On days like this, days like today, Jason often tries to hide away from you. He doesn’t like for you to see him when he is like this, when he is feeling weak and broken and can’t seem to control all of the bad thoughts running through his head.  
So today, when he tries to cancel the plans the two of you had made with some half-assed excuse about a cold – with a few obviously fake coughs thrown in for good measure – you can tell pretty quickly that something else is wrong. This is far from the first time that he had gotten in a mood like this since the two of you had started spending time together and you had quickly learned that getting him to open up to you when he is like this is not easy. So, instead of immediately trying to get him to drop the act and talk to you, you offer to bring him over soup and spend the day taking care of him.  
He tries to decline, telling you that he can take care of himself, that he doesn’t need any help. You know how much he hates showing vulnerability in times like this, so instead of pushing him to let you help, you say, “Please, Jay. It’s been a couple days since I’ve seen you and I miss you.”  
You can hear him sigh over the phone and find yourself holding your breath as you wait for an answer. After a few seconds of silence that seemed to draw on for hours, Jason finally speaks again, “Ok, Doll. Come on over and we can watch that tv show that you’ve been talking about.”  
You quickly and excitedly agree and you call feel your cheeks start to heat up at the term of endearment. You and Jason had yet to actually put a name on anything going on between you, but you found that it often seemed to be pretty romantic. You would often find yourself touching each other some way or another when you were together, whether it be his hand resting on the small of your back, or your fingers intertwined with his. And that isn’t even to mention all the quick brushes of your lips against each other’s and the numerous pet names that often slipped off of both of your tongues.  
You try not to think about it too much, not wanting to let your thoughts spin too out of control. You had never brought it up to him of course, as you didn’t want to take the chance of spooking him. You already know how hard it is for him to be vulnerable and open with you as it is and you don’t want to make it any harder on him, so you have never push the subject and instead just try to follow him lead, going as fast or as slow as he needs you to.  
You run a hand through your hair real quick and grab a warm sweater before you walk out the door, knowing how cold Jason always keeps his apartment. You decide to walk the few blocks to his apartment building, as it’s nice outside today, and honestly you know you will need a few minutes to get your thoughts together before you can truly try to help him out of this slump. You do your best to organize your thoughts on the way over and by the time you get there, you have decided that the best way to help him today is just to be there and make sure he knows that you care.  
It doesn’t take him long to open the door after you knock. His hair is somehow messier than usual and he looks tired, exhausted even. He gives you small, forced looking smile, before welcoming you inside. The apartment is dark. There is only one dim light on and all of the blinds on the windows are closed. The place looks dreary and you can’t imagine that it is helping at all with his mood.  
You give him a kiss on the cheek as you walk inside and then head over to the couch and grab the tv remote off of the coffee table before turning to give him a hopeful look. He chuckles a little at your excitement. You had been trying to convince him to watch some new show on Netflix for a couple weeks now and you were clearly happy that he had finally agreed to watch it with you.  
Once he has sat down next to you and you have pulled the show up you turn to him, hesitating slightly before taking a big leap and asking, “W-would it be ok to cuddle?”  
He looks startled at the question and you start to worry that you pushed too far. You had come over hoping to help him feel better and instead you start to fear that you might have just made it much, much worse. The man in front of you stutters for a moment, before quietly asking, “You want to cuddle… with me?”  
Your heart breaks a little at the sound of disbelief in his voice and the realization that he doesn’t understand why you would want to show him affection. You nod instead of speaking because you fear that your voice would give out on you. He bites his lip and stares over your shoulder for a moment before nodding his head and mumbling a soft, “Ok.”  
You slowly lay back on the couch and motion for him to lay next to and when he does, you lay your head on his shoulder and wrap your arm around his waist. He tenses for a moment before starting to relax into your touch. You both just lay there for a bit and you listen to his heartbeat start to slow to a steady pace, instead of the quick, anxious beat it had going when he had first laid down. Your state of relaxation is suddenly interrupted when he moves to get up, and for a moment you fear that he is going to leave, but instead he grabs the forgotten remote and then lays back down.  
A smile spreads on your face when he pushes play and as the opening credits start to role across his tv, you feel him wrap his arms around you and pull you even closer. You start to rub gentle circles on his hip with your thumb and fail to focus on the show. Instead you think about how nice he smells, and how you wouldn’t mind never moving again if it meant staying like this with him.  
Jason thoughts also trail away from the tv in front of him, as he realizes how natural this feels with you. He feels safe being this close to you. Suddenly, all of the feelings of insecurity start to fade away and he allows himself to just be here, in this moment with you. He allows himself to be vulnerable and soft.


End file.
